#152c49
a deep, vivid blue · cool · closest name: Midnight Blue
Token name suggestion: Abyss Harbour
#152c49 is a deep vivid blue, 214° on the wheel and 98/100 on the cool side. Put white text on it (14.11:1). As text it scores 14.11:1 on white — safe at any size. Nearest name is Midnight Blue, nearest Tailwind family is slate.
At a glance
Every number on this page in one read: what #152c49 is made of, how bright it looks, and which way it leans.
Left edge is grey, right edge is full chroma; top is white, bottom is black. The dot is #152c49.
Reads cool. Warm and cool siblings keep the same lightness, so you can swap one in without redoing your contrast maths.
Green carries most of what the eye calls brightness — that is why WCAG weights it 0.7152.
Every format
| HEX | #152c49 |
| HEX (8-digit) | #152c49ff |
| RGB | rgb(21, 44, 73) |
| RGBA | rgba(21, 44, 73, 1) |
| HSL | hsl(214, 55%, 18%) |
| HSV / HSB | hsv(213, 71%, 29%) |
| HWB | hwb(214 8% 71%) |
| CMYK | cmyk(71%, 40%, 0%, 71%) |
| LAB | lab(17.6 1.9 -20.7) |
| LCH | lch(17.6 20.8 275.2) |
| OKLCH | oklch(0.290 0.061 255.1) |
| XYZ (D65) | xyz(2.41, 2.44, 6.65) |
| Decimal | 1387593 |
| Display P3 | color(display-p3 0.082 0.173 0.286) |
| Web-safe | #003333 |
Copy-ready code
/* CSS */
color: #152c49;
background-color: #152c49;
/* CSS custom property */
--brand: #152c49;
/* Tailwind (arbitrary) */
class="text-[#152c49] bg-[#152c49]"
/* SCSS */
$brand: #152c49;
/* SwiftUI */
Color(red: 0.082, green: 0.173, blue: 0.286)
/* UIKit */
UIColor(red: 0.082, green: 0.173, blue: 0.286, alpha: 1)
/* Android XML */
<color name="brand">#152C49</color>
/* Android Compose */
Color(0xFF152C49)
/* Flutter */
Color(0xFF152C49)
/* Python / OpenCV (BGR) */
(73, 44, 21)
/* Python / PIL (RGB) */
(21, 44, 73)
/* Java AWT */
new Color(21, 44, 73)
/* .NET */
Color.FromArgb(255, 21, 44, 73)
/* OpenGL / Unity (0–1) */
(0.0824f, 0.1725f, 0.2863f, 1f)
/* LaTeX */
\definecolor{brand}{RGB}{21,44,73}/* mix without leaving CSS */ background: color-mix(in oklab, #152c49 85%, white); border-color: color-mix(in oklab, #152c49 40%, transparent); /* theme-aware in one line */ color: light-dark(#1C3C63, #D3DFEE); /* relative colour syntax */ --hover: hsl(from #152c49 h s calc(l - 7));
Design tokens
The same ramp in the four formats a team actually needs. Paste one and the whole palette lands with it.
:root {
--brand-50: #F4F7FB;
--brand-100: #E9EFF6;
--brand-200: #CEDCEE;
--brand-300: #A8C3E6;
--brand-400: #7CA5D9;
--brand-500: #5188CD;
--brand-600: #3773BE;
--brand-700: #2E5F9E;
--brand-800: #244C7F;
--brand-900: #1E3A5C;
--brand-950: #152c49;
--brand: #152c49;
--brand-ink: #ffffff;
--brand-surface: #F4F7FA;
--brand-border: #C0D4ED;
--brand-hover: #0D1B2D;
--brand-pressed: #050A11;
}
@media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) {
:root {
--brand-surface: #141B24;
--brand-ink: #D3DFEE;
}
}theme: {
extend: {
colors: {
brand: {
50: '#F4F7FB',
100: '#E9EFF6',
200: '#CEDCEE',
300: '#A8C3E6',
400: '#7CA5D9',
500: '#5188CD',
600: '#3773BE',
700: '#2E5F9E',
800: '#244C7F',
900: '#1E3A5C',
950: '#152c49',
DEFAULT: '#152c49',
},
},
},
}$brand: (
'50': #F4F7FB,
'100': #E9EFF6,
'200': #CEDCEE,
'300': #A8C3E6,
'400': #7CA5D9,
'500': #5188CD,
'600': #3773BE,
'700': #2E5F9E,
'800': #244C7F,
'900': #1E3A5C,
'950': #152c49,
);
$brand-base: #152c49;
$brand-ink: #ffffff;
@function brand($step) { @return map-get($brand, $step); }{
"color": {
"brand": {
"50": { "$value": "#F4F7FB", "$type": "color" },
"100": { "$value": "#E9EFF6", "$type": "color" },
"200": { "$value": "#CEDCEE", "$type": "color" },
"300": { "$value": "#A8C3E6", "$type": "color" },
"400": { "$value": "#7CA5D9", "$type": "color" },
"500": { "$value": "#5188CD", "$type": "color" },
"600": { "$value": "#3773BE", "$type": "color" },
"700": { "$value": "#2E5F9E", "$type": "color" },
"800": { "$value": "#244C7F", "$type": "color" },
"900": { "$value": "#1E3A5C", "$type": "color" },
"950": { "$value": "#152c49", "$type": "color" }
},
"brandInk": { "$value": "#ffffff", "$type": "color" }
}
}Best text color
Only one of black and white can be right. This is the one, with the number that proves it.
Make it accessible
A contrast checker tells you that you failed. This tells you what to ship instead — same hue, same saturation, lightness moved only as far as WCAG demands.
Large text — 24px regular or 18.66px bold and above — only needs 3:1, so #152C49 is enough for headings on white. Non-text elements such as icons, chart strokes and focus rings also sit at 3:1 under WCAG 2.2 (1.4.11).
Accessibility — WCAG contrast
Contrast is symmetric, so each row covers both directions: #152c49 as text on that neutral, and that neutral as text on #152c49.
| Neutral | Ratio | Verdict | Both directions |
|---|---|---|---|
| White#ffffff | 14.11:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 50#f8fafc | 13.49:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 100#f1f5f9 | 12.88:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 200#e2e8f0 | 11.45:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 300#cbd5e1 | 9.50:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 400#94a3b8 | 5.50:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 500#64748b | 2.96:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 600#475569 | 1.86:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 700#334155 | 1.36:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 800#1e293b | 1.04:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Slate 900#0f172a | 1.27:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
| Black#000000 | 1.49:1 | AAAA lgAAA | AaAa |
Roughly one man in twelve has some form of colour vision deficiency. If any of the three panels above is hard to tell apart from a neighbouring colour in your palette, add a shape, an icon or a label so the meaning does not rest on hue alone.
Color scale — 50 to 950
A Tailwind-shaped ramp built around this exact hex. #152c49 is pinned to step 950; the rest hold its hue and let saturation ease off at the extremes so the pale end never turns neon.
The same eleven steps expressed in OKLCH, where equal lightness numbers actually look equally spaced. HSL ramps go muddy in the yellows and washed out in the blues; this one does not. Modern browsers render it natively — the hex ramp above is the fallback.
:root {
--brand-50: oklch(0.97 0.015 255.1);
--brand-100: oklch(0.94 0.024 255.1);
--brand-200: oklch(0.88 0.036 255.1);
--brand-300: oklch(0.80 0.047 255.1);
--brand-400: oklch(0.72 0.056 255.1);
--brand-500: oklch(0.64 0.061 255.1);
--brand-600: oklch(0.56 0.061 255.1);
--brand-700: oklch(0.48 0.057 255.1);
--brand-800: oklch(0.40 0.051 255.1);
--brand-900: oklch(0.32 0.043 255.1);
--brand-950: oklch(0.24 0.033 255.1);
}Colors that work with #152c49
Not a palette — a role sheet. Each swatch answers one question you will hit while building the component.
Surface, border, heading and body all derive from this one hue, so the screen stays coherent without a second palette.
Lightness flips, hue holds. The accent stays the anchor in both themes.
In real components
The same eight roles, wired into the interface patterns you will actually build with them. Every state below is a computed value, not a mock-up.
Focus ring uses the light variant so the field still reads as one shape.
The file stays available for seven days. Download it before it expires.
How to use #152c49
Derived from its contrast, chroma and lightness — not from taste.
- ✓Body text and links on white
- ✓Primary buttons and calls to action
- ✓Focus rings, active and selected states
- ✓Headers, footers and dark-mode surfaces
- ✓Brand accents, badges and data highlights
- ⚠Text on black or near-black surfaces
- ⚠Full-page backgrounds — tiring over long sessions
- ⚠Black text placed on it
- ⚠Pairing with a same-lightness hue — edges vibrate
Meaning and mood
What a colour in this family tends to signal, and how this particular chroma and lightness change the reading.
The default of institutions for a reason: blue is read as stable and safe across nearly every culture that has been surveyed.
This is a confident chroma: strong enough to lead a brand, restrained enough to live in an interface all day. The low lightness adds weight and formality.
It is also the most crowded hue on the web. Distinctiveness has to come from your other choices.
- FormalityHigh
- EnergyMedium-high
- Weight82/100
- TemperatureCool
- ApproachabilityReserved
Colour associations are cultural and vary by market. Treat these as a starting point for a conversation with your audience, not a finding about them.
Similar colors
One move away from this hex in each direction. Every swatch is its own page.
Color relationships
The wheel positions with their names attached, so you can grab the one you actually need.
| Complementary | #493215 | Directly opposite — maximum tension | |
| Analogous left | #154649 | Neighbour, quieter | |
| Analogous right | #181549 | Neighbour, quieter | |
| Split-complement 1 | #491815 | Contrast without the clash | |
| Split-complement 2 | #464915 | Contrast without the clash | |
| Triadic 1 | #49152C | Even thirds — balanced and loud | |
| Triadic 2 | #2C4915 | Even thirds — balanced and loud | |
| Tetradic | #491546 | Fourth corner of the square scheme |
#152c49 sits at 214°. Every dot is a harmony position and links to its own page in the table alongside.
RGB percentages
CMYK percentages
Total ink coverage is 182%. Most commercial presses cap around 300% — above that, sheets stop drying properly.
Color previews
#152c49 text on a black background
contrast 1.49:1
#152c49 text on a white background
contrast 14.11:1
#152c49 on grey
12.88:1
#152c49 on its own surface
13.12:1
#152c49 on its dark surface
1.23:1
CSS3 live lab
The quick brown fox
color: #152c49;
background-color: #152c49;
Glowing headline
text-shadow: 2px 2px 8px #152c49;
Soft neon halo
text-shadow: 0 0 14px rgba(21, 44, 73, 0.45);
box-shadow: 0 12px 32px -8px rgba(21, 44, 73, 0.45);
border: 3px solid #152c49; background: linear-gradient(135deg, #152c49, #211549);
Gradient headline
background: linear-gradient(90deg, #152c49, #2E1549); -webkit-background-clip: text; color: transparent;
outline: 2px solid #152c49; outline-offset: 3px;
Marked up text
text-decoration-color: #152c49; caret-color: #152c49;
border-left: 4px solid #152c49;
background: #EBF1F9; box-shadow: inset 0 0 0 2px #152c49;
background: conic-gradient(#152c49 68%, #e2e8f0 0);
Transparency
What each alpha value actually composites to. The top row is #152c49 over white; the bottom row is the same alpha over a checkerboard, so you can see what survives on a photo or a video.
Bottom row of hexes is the flattened result over white — use those when a design tool refuses transparency, or when you need a solid fallback.
rgba(21, 44, 73, 0.5) rgb(21 44 73 / 50%) #152c4980 hsl(214 55% 18% / 50%) color-mix(in srgb, #152c49 50%, transparent)
| Alpha | 8-digit hex | Flat on white |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | #152c491a | #E8EAED |
| 20% | #152c4933 | #D0D5DB |
| 40% | #152c4966 | #A1ABB6 |
| 60% | #152c4999 | #738092 |
| 80% | #152c49cc | #44566D |
Gradients from #152c49
Six recipes, each built from this hex and shown with the exact CSS that produced it.
background: linear-gradient(135deg, #234978, #152c49 45%, #1C3C63);
background: linear-gradient(120deg, #152c49, #190E31);
background: linear-gradient(90deg, #152c49, #493215);
background: radial-gradient(120% 120% at 20% 0%, #295790 0%, #152c49 45%, #1C3C63 100%);
background: linear-gradient(180deg, #F4F7FA, #ffffff);
background: radial-gradient(60% 60% at 15% 20%, #20706E 0%, transparent 60%), radial-gradient(55% 55% at 85% 15%, #261C61 0%, transparent 60%), radial-gradient(70% 70% at 50% 95%, #1C3C63 0%, transparent 65%), #152c49;
Monochromatic scale
Palettes built from #152c49
Shades — darker
Tints — lighter
Tones — desaturated
Color harmonies
Nearest named colors
Ranked with CIEDE2000 across all 139 CSS keywords. Under ΔE 2 the eye stops telling them apart; over ΔE 10 they are plainly different colors.
Closest color with a full write-up: Prussian Blue (#003153) — ΔE2000 4 away, with its history, psychology and brand usage.
#152c49 in the real world
Where a color in this family tends to land, and the interface roles it is usually asked to play.
Converts to four-color process without much drama. Proof it anyway.
Very dark values collapse into each other on cheap panels — leave more lightness between your darkest steps than the numbers suggest.
Too dim on dark surfaces at 1.49:1 — lift it to #3876C4 for body text, or reserve it for fills.
Explore nearby colors
Small, deliberate steps away from this hex — useful when you are hunting for the version of a colour that finally feels right.
#152c49, answered
What color is #152c49?
#152c49 is a deep vivid blue, closest to Midnight Blue (ΔE2000 11). It sits at 214° on the hue wheel with 55% saturation and 18% lightness, which reads as cool.
What is the RGB value of #152c49?
rgb(21, 44, 73) — 21 red, 44 green and 73 blue out of 255, or 8.2% / 17.3% / 28.6% by channel.
What is #152c49 in HSL and HSV?
hsl(214, 55%, 18%) and hsv(213, 71%, 29%). HSL is what CSS takes; HSV is what your design tool's picker shows, which is why the saturation numbers rarely match.
Is #152c49 a light or a dark color?
It is a dark color. Relative luminance is 0.0244 and perceived brightness is 17%, so white text on it reaches 14.11:1.
Should I use black or white text on #152c49?
White. It scores 14.11:1 against #152c49, versus 1.49:1 for black — AAA at any size.
Is #152c49 accessible on a white background?
#152c49 on white scores 14.11:1, which clears AAA at every size.
What is the complementary color of #152c49?
#493215 sits directly opposite on the wheel. Softer options are the split-complements #491815 and #464915, which give the same contrast with far less vibration.
What colors go well with #152c49?
For interface work: #F4F7FA as the surface, #C0D4ED for borders, #4B6E9B for secondary text, #4B2413 as an accent and #1C3C63 for hover and pressed states. For a palette, the analogous pair #154649 and #181549 stays calm, while #493215 is the loudest partner.
What is #152c49 in CMYK for printing?
cmyk(71%, 40%, 0%, 71%). This is a screen-to-ink approximation — ask your printer for a proof before committing to a run.
Is #152c49 warm or cool?
Cool — it scores 98 on a scale where 0 is the warmest orange and 100 the coolest azure. Nudged warmer it becomes #151949; nudged cooler, #0F2136.
Which Tailwind color is closest to #152c49?
The slate family — its 500 step is #64748b, ΔE2000 24.9 away. That is a visible difference, so define #152c49 as a custom token rather than reaching for the built-in.
How do I use #152c49 in Tailwind CSS?
Inline it as an arbitrary value with bg-[#152c49] or text-[#152c49], or register the whole ramp under theme.extend.colors.brand so you get bg-brand-500 and friends. The generated 50–950 scale on this page is ready to paste into your config.
What is #152c49 with 50% opacity?
rgba(21, 44, 73, 0.5), or #152c4980 in eight-digit hex. Over white that composites to #8A96A4; over black, #0B1625.
Is #152c49 a web-safe color?
No. The nearest web-safe colour is #003333, ΔE2000 18.9 away. The palette only matters for legacy displays and some email clients now.
What does the color #152c49 mean?
As a blue, it reads trusted, calm, competent. The default of institutions for a reason: blue is read as stable and safe across nearly every culture that has been surveyed. At this chroma the effect is amplified — it will dominate whatever sits beside it.
What gradient works with #152c49?
The safest is same-hue elevation: linear-gradient(135deg, #234978, #152c49 45%, #1C3C63). For more colour, a short hue run to #190E31 keeps it rich without turning muddy.
Work with #152c49 in the Color Lab
Every tool opens with this colour already loaded.
Every value on this page is computed from #152c49 at request time — conversions, contrast ratios and ΔE distances are calculated, never looked up.